Sustainability

Apache Releases 2017 Sustainability Report

Apache has released its 2017 Sustainability Report. The online report features extensive disclosure of Apache’s performance in governance, environmental stewardship, workforce, health, and safety in the workplace and community outreach.

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Apache has released its 2017 Sustainability Report. The online report features extensive disclosure of Apache’s performance in governance, environmental stewardship, workforce, health, and safety in the workplace and community outreach.

John J. Christmann IV, Apache’s chief executive officer and president said, “At Apache, we believe that our success depends on delivering environmental, social, and financial returns, because that is how the company will deliver long-term growth and lasting benefits for shareholders and other stakeholders.”

Highlights of the 2017 report include

  • Provides increased transparency on Apache’s most material sustainability issues—Apache undertook a materiality analysis to identify the issues that are most important to its stakeholders. Based on this analysis, the company is already reporting on all of the issues stakeholders rank at the highest level of importance. However, in this report, Apache increased the level of disclosure on many of these topics, including water use and sourcing; water quality and wastewater management; greenhouse gas emissions and energy use; sustainability; health, safety, and environment; social issue management; regulation and compliance; and risk management.
  • Addresses stakeholders’ most frequently asked questions—For this year’s report, Apache developed a special section that answers stakeholders’ most frequently asked questions and provides concise yet thorough answers about how Apache is addressing these issues and pointing readers to more-detailed, related content throughout the report.
  • Provides an in-depth account of the efforts made at Alpine High—The report provides an in-depth account of how Apache is protecting local resources, implementing best-management practices, and coordinating with key community leaders to ensure the safe and responsible development of its new multidecade resource play, Alpine High.
  • Expands disclosure on how Apache plans for climate-change-related risks and reduces operational methane emissions—In response to increased investor interest in how oil and gas companies are addressing climate-change-related risks and reducing methane emissions and leaks from operations, Apache added content on these topics for this year’s report. For example, the company increased its discussion of methane-leak identification and management and its approach to reducing methane flaring and venting. Apache also added a discussion of how it integrates climate-change-related risks into its risk-management and scenario-planning processes.
  • Represents Apache’s first report in full accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the world’s leading standard for sustainability reporting—For the first time, Apache fulfilled all of GRI’s requirements for voluntary sustainability reporting at the core level.

The report also highlights Apache’s performance in key sustainability areas, including

  • Improving health and safety—Since 2012, Apache has significantly reduced safety incidents for employees and contractors, improving employee and contractor total recordable incident rate by 54% and days away, restricted, or transferred rate by 55%.
  • Reducing methane emissions—Apache is on track to meet its goal to reduce methane emissions intensity to 0.36% by 2025. In 2016, the company’s global methane emissions intensity was 0.43%, a reduction of 12% compared with 2015.
  • Using alternatives to fresh water—In 2016, just 3% of Apache’s water withdrawals were potable fresh water. Apache uses recycled produced water; municipal wastewater; and nonpotable, brackish groundwater to reduce its use of fresh water.
  • Listening to community members—As part of an effort to be more responsive to community needs, Apache established a formal grievance hotline that is operated 24 hours a day by staff members in Houston. Apache is one of only a few independent oil and gas companies with a 24-hour call center operated by employees rather than a third party.
  • Benefiting communities—Apache aims to benefit communities by hiring and spending locally. In 2016, 97% of Apache employees were local nationals and nearly 30% of the company’s spending was with local vendors. Apache also contributed $39 million in local property taxes assessed upon reserves in place.

Read the report here.